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# schoolboy

noun (a schoolboy, schoolboys); adjective use (a schoolboy joke, schoolboy error)

«schoolboy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A schoolboy is a boy who goes to school. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#m1)
2. Used before another noun, schoolboy means the kind of thing a schoolboy would do or have, often silly or simple: a schoolboy joke, a schoolboy error. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#m2)
3. (UK, sport) A schoolboy player is a boy who plays a sport for his school or at under-18 level. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#m3)

### In the lessons

In stories and old books schoolboys wear caps and blazers and have adventures. In everyday talk, especially in the UK, «a schoolboy error» means a very basic mistake that even a beginner should avoid, and «schoolboy humour» means rude or silly jokes. The girl's word is «schoolgirl»; a neutral word is «pupil» or «student».

### Examples

- The schoolboy ran to catch the bus with his bag flapping. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x1)
- In the old photo, the schoolboys wear shorts and caps. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x2)
- Forgetting to carry the one was a schoolboy error. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x3)
- My uncle still laughs at schoolboy jokes about burps. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x4)
- He played schoolboy rugby in Ireland. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x5)
- Every schoolboy in the story wanted to find the treasure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x6)
- The schoolboys lined up in the yard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x7)
- Then there arrived on the scene a mere schoolboy--a merry, happy-hearted youth, but at the same time strong and well-grown. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/#x8)

### Note

Countable: one schoolboy, two schoolboys. One word, no space or hyphen. «Schoolboy error» is a fixed phrase meaning a basic mistake; it can be said about anyone, even adults. Plural is regular: schoolboys (not schoolboies).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «schoolboy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/schoolboy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«schoolboy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/schoolboy.html) on Mova free.